Page 505 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 1993
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The current urban myth is that this is a problem for women, a housewife's problem. We reject that statement. It may well be - and it is up to a study to find out - that the problem is more widespread amongst women; but, if that is the case, then the reasons that are currently given for it may need to be questioned. One of the suggestions that have come to our committee is that it may be that medical practitioners are more inclined to prescribe benzodiazepines for women than for men. In discussing this with my wife, Madam Speaker, she pointed out to me that women have the problem that they have to live with men, whereas most men do not have that problem.
We also made a very broad recommendation to professional members of our medical community. Recommendation 5 states:
That the ACT Branch of the Australian Medical Association -
who were very helpful in their submission and in appearing before the committee -
the ACT Sub-Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the ACT Nurses Registration Board and the Department of Health consider conducting a coordinated and continuing education campaign for benzodiazepines prescribers ...
If there were a coordinated approach, as far as it went, some of the problems associated with benzodiazepines that appear to be growing could be resolved at the appropriate place, without attempting to blow the use of benzodiazepines out of proportion. I suspect that some people, perhaps for personal reasons, perhaps because of an obsession, almost, are inclined to do that. I think the benzodiazepine problem is contained at the moment and in some ways appears to be improving. I think it can be contained by appropriate educative processes, not only in the general community, as we recommend, but also particularly by further education of medical practitioners, who have a whole range of things happening to them all the time and who at this stage, it seems to us, get most of their education about these drugs from the pharmaceutical companies.
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank first and foremost my colleagues on this committee for their help and for their work in dealing with these issues: Mrs Ellnor Grassby, the deputy chair of the committee; and for this report in particular, Mrs Kate Carnell, who was able to assist other members greatly by explaining the pharmaceutical qualities of various drugs and answering many questions on which we might otherwise have had to go for practical advice to a broader source. Beyond that, I thank Mrs Carnell for her contribution to the report as a whole.
It would be remiss of me if I did not point out the impact the secretary of this committee has had on the preparation of the report. Mr Ron Owens, with whom I have now worked for nearly four years, has been working steadfastly on these issues, and his understanding has assisted the committee greatly, as has his work in preparation and research. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to present the report to the Assembly.
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